


picture it

by kareofbears



Series: five days, five prompts 2020 [4]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Introspection, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:01:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28085085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kareofbears/pseuds/kareofbears
Summary: There was a point in Akira’s life where he never thought he’d have this.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: five days, five prompts 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046812
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	picture it

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by new house by rex orange county

There was a point in Akira’s life where he never thought he’d have this. 

“More to the right? Or left?” 

“Down, actually.” 

“Are you sure? Won’t look weird?” 

There was a point in his life where Akira thought that he’d stay in his room, trapped in his hometown. It wasn’t painful to stay there, no. It was more like frogs in a cooking pot. Days would pass with him staying in isolation, waiting for change. Waiting for a miracle. Waiting for the water to boil.

“Of course it would still look weird, Ryuji, since you’re on it.” 

“Don’t make me come down there and smack this frame through your head.” 

There was a point in his life where Akira thought that he had nothing but a dusty attic in the middle of a busy city. No one knew his name, and he’s sure that no one will; the only one that _did _know was his criminal record.__

__“Down…” Ryuji mutters, adjusting the photo accordingly. He was standing precariously on top of three cardboard boxes, none of their stuff unpacked. “Okay, how about now?”_ _

__“Not bad.” Akira extends a hand, and Ryuji takes it as he hops down. “Should I order pizza?” It was a bold move suggesting take-out, with their budget as tight as it is. Turns out, rent between two university students and three part-time jobs equals not a lot of liquidity._ _

__He frowns. “Do we have the budget for that?”_ _

__“Sure, we can.” He shrugs. "It’s not like I even need to refill my Metro card, right?”_ _

__It’s one hell of a walk, and they both know it. But there’s something about ignoring their huge, grueling process of moving into a run-down apartment together that demands attention. Celebration. Even if it’s in the form of crappy pizza a block away._ _

__Ryuji’s eyes soften. “How about we scam the system? We can share a card for the next month, yeah? Pray that no cop finds out?”_ _

__Akira smiles slightly. “As if we can afford the penalty if they find out. Might have to beg Haru for a bailout.”_ _

__“Okay, then how about…” he scratches his head. “I take a couple of extra shifts at the bakery, you take a couple more at the coffee shop, and we can make this a weekly thing?”_ _

__His heart thuds painfully in his chest as he considers Ryuji’s offer—both of them are struggling to juggle biweekly paychecks and keeping up with the workload of university to the point where their relationship had to take a backseat. But the fact that Ryuji is willing to exhaust himself even more, to deal with customers, to lose more time for essays, just to spend an evening eating pepperoni pizza with him, is something that Akira is still trying to get used to._ _

__“Are you sure?”_ _

__His lips split to a grin. “Damn sure.”_ _

__As they slip on their coats and walk out the door, his eyes linger on the framed photo on their wall—it was all of them in their teen years during their graduation, eyes bright and smiles wide. Proof of what they have, despite their separation from one another._ _

__There was a point in Akira’s life where he never thought he’d have this._ _

__Now, he can’t imagine his life without it._ _

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading yall and i hope you're staying safe. next fic is hopefully going to be a festive one to cap off the new year :))) 
> 
> [my tumblr](https://kareofbears.tumblr.com)


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